Ep 6. By The Spit

Charley, Nova, and Ralph Angel each find themselves facing difficult choices as they navigate the challenges of their personal lives and the continued fallout from the struggle to save the family farm. In "By The Spit," the sixth episode of Queen Sugar's fourth season, tensions come to a head when Charley's efforts to secure a lucrative deal for her sugarcane crop are threatened by outside forces, Nova faces the consequences of her newly published book, and Ralph Angel is forced to confront his feelings about his son's medical condition.

As the episode opens, Charley is hard at work trying to secure a loan from the Sugar Board in order to pay off her debts and keep the farm afloat. Her efforts have already been complicated by a hostile takeover bid from the Landrys, a powerful family with longstanding ties to the local sugar industry. Now, just as it seems Charley is on the brink of success, she learns that her proposed deal is being challenged by a rival cane-grower who claims that Charley's crop is contaminated with bacteria from the Mississippi River.

Desperate to save her crop and unwilling to back down in the face of this new challenge, Charley enlists the help of her sister Nova and brother Ralph Angel. Together, they hatch a plan to prove that the rival grower's accusations are false, drawing on their collective knowledge of the land and their deep roots in the local community. But as the pressure mounts and tempers flare, Charley finds herself questioning her own judgment and her ability to protect the family legacy.

Meanwhile, Nova is struggling to deal with the fallout from her explosive memoir, which has caused rifts in her relationships with both her siblings and her former lover, Calvin. Despite the praise and critical acclaim she's received for the book, Nova is plagued by doubts about whether she's done the right thing by exposing the family's secrets and airing her own dirty laundry in public. She also faces backlash from those who feel she's portrayed them unfairly or betrayed their trust.

As Nova grapples with the aftermath of the book's publication, she also begins to explore a new romantic connection with a journalist who's writing a profile on her. This new relationship brings its own complications and challenges, as Nova finds herself drawn to someone who may not share her values or understand her perspective on the world.

Finally, Ralph Angel is forced to confront his own fears and anxieties when it comes to his son Blue's health. Blue has been struggling with an undiagnosed medical condition, and as Ralph Angel tries to navigate the medical system and find answers, he realizes that he's been avoiding facing the truth about the situation. With the help of his aunt Violet and his girlfriend Darla, Ralph Angel begins to come to terms with the possibility that Blue may never fully recover, and that he may need to accept that his son's life will be forever changed by this condition.

As these three siblings confront their individual challenges and struggles, they also remain bound together by their shared history and their deep love for one another. "By The Spit" is a powerful and moving episode that captures the complex and often painful realities of family life, as well as the strength and resilience that can emerge in even the toughest of circumstances.